Focus Kineticist
Some kineticists need to use a device to project their blasts efficiently, and a special suit of armor or particular set of clothing to use their utility wild talents easily. These kineticists are known as focus kineticists, and they can look quite distinctive. Focus At 1st level, a focus kineticist designates an armor focus and a device focus. They must purchase these items using their starting wealth, and each item must cost at least 10 gp. If a focus kineticist is not wearing their armor focus, they find it much harder to use their utility wild talents, while if they are not wearing or holding their device focus, they finds it much harder to use their infusion wild talents or make composite blasts. Without the relevant focus, the kineticist must make a concentration check or the particular class feature cannot be used that time; the action is wasted. The DC for this check is equal to 20 + twice the effective spell level. If a focus is damaged, it is restored to full hit points the next time the kineticist removes her burn. If a focus is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week in a special ritual that costs 200 gp per kineticist level plus the cost of the masterwork item. This ritual takes 8 hours to complete. Items replaced in this way do not possess any of the additional enchantments of the previous focus, if it had any. A kineticist can designate an existing magic item as her focus. This functions in the same way as replacing a lost or destroyed item except that the new magic item retains its abilities while gaining the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a focus. This replaces the metakinesis (maximize, quicken, and twice). Armor Focus (Su) The armor chosen as an armor focus provides the focus kineticist with the ability to use their utility wild talents. For the purposes of this ability, armor can be a suit of armor or a set of clothing. The set of clothing can include extra elements such as a pair of bracers or a mask to provide a more distinctive image, but these extra pieces do not count as the set of clothing for purposes of whether the focus kineticist loses the ability to use utility wild talents without the need to make Concentration checks. At 6th, 11th, and 16th levels, the focus kineticist gains an additional point in their internal buffer, but these additional points can only be used on utility wild talents. If the armor is destroyed, the focus kineticist loses these extra buffer points until they replace the item (as detailed under Focus, above). This alters internal buffer. Device Focus (Su) The device is the point of origin of all of the focus kineticist’s kinetic blasts, as well as for kinetic blade and kinetic whip if they possess those wild talents. For the purposes of this ability, a device is any item that can be worn on a finger or hand, or held in a hand. Thus, a device can be a glove, ring, shield, wand, a ranged weapon, or even a weird science-type object. When the focus kineticist accepts burn, the device charges with power, gaining visual effects as well as the kineticist. For each +1 to attack rolls that elemental overload grants, the focus kineticist gains a property pool of +1, to a maximum of +6 at 18th level. The property pool provided by elemental overload to the device is used to add weapon properties to the device; the device cannot have an enhancement bonus (at least, in respect to attacking with kinetic blast/blade/whip). The weapon properties consume an amount of bonus equal to the property’s cost. The following special qualities can be added: +1 called, corrosive, countering, cruel*, cunning*, flaming, frost, limning*, merciful, planar, seeking*, shock +2: anarchic**, axiomatic**, designating (lesser), holy**, igniting, phase locking, unholy** +4: brilliant energy, designating (greater)*. * This ability can only be used against a single target, and not with infusions that have a duration. ** The focus kineticist cannot choose these special qualities if they are opposite to the focus kineticist’s alignment. For example, a good focus kineticist cannot pick unholy. The properties granted by elemental overload are determined as burn is incurred and cannot be changed until the next time burn is removed. The focus kineticist can “store up” the property pool to grant properties that cost +2 or +4.The properties applied to the device affect only the focus kineticist’s kinetic blasts; their kinetic blade and kinetic whip do not gain these properties, and if the device is a weapon, it is not granted the properties either. Similarly, any weapon properties a weapon device has as a weapon are not granted to the device. When the focus kineticist uses kinetic blast through a projectile weapon, they pull the string of a bow and shoot their kinetic blast, or pull the trigger of a gun to do the same thing, making it feel like energy blast ammunition. The device imparts no properties if the item is held or worn by anyone other than the focus kineticist but resumes giving properties if returned to the focus kineticist. If the device is destroyed, the focus kineticist loses the use of this ability until she replaces the item (as detailed under Focus, above). A focus kineticist does not gain a bonus to damage rolls from their elemental overload ability. This alters elemental overflow. 'Gather Power (Su)' The focus kineticist must hold or wear their focus device, as appropriate to the type of device, to gather power; holding or wearing this device does not interfere with the ability to gather power. When gathering power, the visible display centers on the device, not on the kineticist. If the focus kineticist has lost their device or it is destroyed, they cannot use gather power until they have a new device. This alters gather power.